Thursday, March 2, 2017

Since writing this column I have received a number of comments challenging the position of the Commercial Drive Business Society (CDBS) and also noting it does not organize Car-free day, so the online version of this story has been corrected. It may well be that a follow up story will be required.Since I
started writing this column, there is one controversial Vancouver topic I have
tended to avoid, until this week.

I
recently heard from a friend that the Commercial Drive Business Society was
becoming increasingly upset by the city’s position on the proposed bike lanes,
which they fear will be a major threat to the future vitality of the Drive.

I was
also intrigued by the fact that a group of people, who I assumed would be very
much in bed with the mayor and council, were so upset with them.

I decided
to investigate, armed with a recent study from Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood
on why local businesses shouldn’t worry about eliminating on-street parking to
accommodate cyclists.

I drove
to the office on Commercial Drive but had to park two blocks away. I couldn’t
find parking. I met Nick Pogor, the executive director of the society, in a
non-descript second-floor office next to Greenpeace Vancouver. On the wall was
a flow chart for the society’s many activities including Family Day, Italian
Day, (and Car Free Day), all of which can be found on the website www.TheDrive.ca.

Noting
that Commercial Drive narrows from four lanes to two at First Avenue, I asked
to see the city’s bike lane plans, only to be told that the society has never seen
any. I was also told that although the society has sent letters to every city
councillor, and even provided each of them with a large binder with a
5,000-signature petition, none of the Vision councillors has responded. I found
this quite astounding.

Referring
to the Toronto study that analyzed the transportation modes used by customers
to get to neighbourhood shops, I suggested that perhaps Pogor’s society should
undertake a similar study.

He
proudly told me that they had, in fact, undertaken such a study. It concluded
that out of just over 1,000 respondents, although many customers frequenting
Commercial Drive owned bikes, only 9 per cent shopped by bike, while 25 per
cent took the bus, 31 per cent walked, and 35 per cent drove.

When I
suggested that improved bike lanes might increase the percentage of cyclists
and improve business, as was the case in Toronto, Pogor pointed out that
Commercial Drive is not just a neighbourhood shopping area; it’s a destination
for the city and region. Consequently, there will always be a need to
accommodate those coming by car. As it is, there is a shortage of on-street
parking. He didn’t have to tell me that.

We
discussed the fact that anyone who has driven beside cyclists along Commercial
Drive knows it can feel dangerous. However, Pogor told me there are nearby
dedicated routes paralleling Commercial Drive, as well as numerous routes
running east-west, as evidenced by the city’s cycling map.

Perhaps
this is the reason when the local neighbourhood was canvassed as part of the
Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood planning study, only five out of 440 people
reportedly identified improved bicycle lanes along Commercial Drive as a
priority.

As I was
about to leave, Pogor wanted to talk about a goods movement survey undertaken by
the city, which looked at accommodating loading and unloading for local
businesses. Prior to the start of the study, the society was told the results
would be shared with them. They never have been, prompting some members to
suspect they do not support the city’s proposal.

Over the
next few years, there will be significant new development activities along the
Drive. Changes are coming. Perhaps it is time for the city’s new senior
management to pay a visit to the Drive, and head upstairs to the society’s offices.
I suspect they will be very welcome.

- See more at:
http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/commercial-drive-businesses-troubled-by-bike-lane-proposal-1.10682779#sthash.xTCK9JE5.dpuf